Metal Coins Review: Pirates, Zombies, and Space coins by Norse Foundry

Everyone branches out sometime! It looks like the Dice Monopoly has finally been toppled from my blog. Today we’re going to be looking at 3.2 different sets of Metal Adventurer’s coins from Norse Foundry!


2016-07-20 13.36.03 I love using these guys for inspiration in my 5e D&D games as well as FATE system games to represent FATE points. Many people at the Gaming Store I frequent love using these coins in place of the cheap plastic or cardboard versions in various board games. If you’re into collecting these sort of things, they’re also just extremely freaking cool. With that said, lets get into the review.

Color

First off, most of the coins offered in these Adventurer sets come in two variations: a heavy luster golden color or a polished silver.

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Personally, I prefer the silver sheen of the Zombie and Space coins to the gold luster of the Pirate and Dwarven coins – but that is completely personal preference. The overall color of these coins is quite striking, allowing for small details and variations to be used in the minting of the coins to let the reliefs “pop.” With time, the color will shift and alter with use, giving them a fantastic weathered look!

Weight

These full sets (2 of each size, 5 different sizes) weigh 2.2-2.5oz. The heft of each coin compared to plastic and cardboard competition is night and day: one of the biggest selling points for me. It feels like a much more quality product because it is – much to Norse Foundry’s credit. When you throw all these coins into a bag together, the heafty weight adds up – and there’s something gratifying about having a heavy jingling leather purse of coins when getting into some fantasy mercantile.

Stackability

Though this should not be a real selling point, some of you may be interested to know if these coins are easy to make stacks of – like poker chips at a table, they can provide a lot of tactile distraction for players waiting on their turn or the next move. Or for DMs passing them time during an RP heavy scene.

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Dwarven 100 Coins (x10) – Stack like a charm! Very flat and balanced. Like poker chips.

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Pirate Coins (Set x2) – Stacks fairly well. The coins are not perfectly flat, but are plenty smooth enough to stand on their own.

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Zombie Coins (Set x2) – Un-stackable outside of magic. They are too bulky and lumpy for these purposes, but the nobbles and grooves make each and every coin feel macabre and twisted, like the portraits stamped into them.

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Space Coins (Set x2) – Stackable, but there are some bumps and rises that make them a little iffy. Even with their odd shapes and cuts, they are flat enough to work with. The interesting shapes and balance for each coin make them something of a Sci-Fi jenga tower whenever I play with them… which is just as awesome as it sounds.

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Durability

So, here we are. The dreaded Durability section. Well, these coins are, in fact, made of some impressively hard metals. As such, they have even better durability than our common United States currency. I’ve had them in bags of metal dice. I’ve had them in my trunk during Mississippi heat waves. I’ve dropped them on various floors. The only real marks made are too superficial to even notice (for any but the most staunch collector.)
The only real concern you should have is the tarnish that accumulates on the coins. Unfortunately, getting solid gold Dwarven coins printed may be outside most of your price ranges – meaning these silver and gold colored coins will shift slightly in color as they are used more and more. The color change makes for a much more weathered and old style coin, which I happen to love. The particular tarnished coin below was my fidgeting catalyst for about two years.

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New Pirate coin, Used Dwarf Coin, Heavily Used Dwarf Coin. Tarnish = Love

As you can see, the tarnished look makes the coins have character and individuality, but if it is a concern, I would suggest you purchase some run of the mill Brasso metal polish and give them a quick rub every once in a while. It should keep them quite brilliant for a very very long time.

Final Verdict

I got these coins as a representation of DM approval LONG before 5e’s Inspiration rules were ever printed. They are handy for reminding players they have a resource to spend. They are interesting, hefty, durable, and the designs are very stark and eye catching.
Having a pirate captain voice his approval and toss a heavy golden coin at your player is one of the most immersive things I’ve ever done.
Every little thing you can add to enhance your experience at a game is well worth the (modest, in this case) price! These will last you for years and years, as mine have, and you’ll find yourself missing them quite a lot when you forget them at home.

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I don’t always advocate rolling, but when I do… be sure you have to Drop the Die.
Review by JB Little, Follow me on twitter for more “useful” information.

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